WHO report distorts Luxembourg alcohol ranking

A recent World Health Organisation study has found that Luxembourg ranks second in regards to alcohol consumption in Europe, but fails to recognise the amount of alcohol bought at border petrol stations.

13.03.2013

(CS) A recent World Health Organisation study has found that Luxembourg ranks second in regards to alcohol consumption in Europe, but fails to recognise the amount of alcohol bought at border petrol stations.

According to the study, assessing 48 countries on the European continent, Luxembourg residents aged 15 or over drink on average 16 litres of pure alcohol per year, a figure only surpassed by Moldova with over 20 litres.

Other countries in the top ten include Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Romania, Belarus, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Hungary.

Most countries in Western Europe are located closer to the average of 10.6 litres per year, with Muslim countries at the bottom of the ranking.

However, the ranking does not take into consideration that especially high-alcohol content spirits are bought at the Grand Duchy's border petrol stations due to lower taxes, and then consumed abroad.

Nonetheless, the report offered worrisome figures about alcohol consumption in Europe, with 6.7 percent of all deaths linked to alcohol. The report also said that countries where the price of alcohol was reduced or restrictions on access and use were lifted saw a 17 to 40 percent increase in alcohol-related deaths among 40 to 69-year-olds.

For the full WHO report, which covers a wide range of health-related issues, visit who.org